Tides of Change
by Stripe
Summary: 20 years after Father's plans have been thwarted, there's new trouble brewing in Amestris. Matthew and Maes Elric simply want to find the fate of their father, but it seems life has other plans for them.


Disclaimer  
I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or related characters. Most of the OCs in this belong to me, however.

**Tides of Change  
**Written by - Stripe

Prolouge - Dead

* * *

Kain Fuery walked slowly up the gravel road in Resembool, his heart heavy. He didn't want this job. He wasn't cut out for this job. He didn't think anyone was -- but perhaps not knowing the family might have made things easier. He paused as he reached the house marked with the sign "Rockbell Automail Mechanic." He knew Elric's wife was pregnant, but she wasn't due for another month.

He couldn't say he envied her position. Two children to take care of, with another on the way, and now this? He let out a small breath of air, and walked up the steps to their porch. He quickly rapped on the door three times and then stood silent, feeling his heart pound in his chest as he waited. Finally, the door creaked open, but instead of seeing a heavily pregnant Mrs. Elric, as he expected, he instead saw a seven-year-old boy standing there. He might have resembled his father at that age had it not for the blue eyes and side-swept bangs.

"Matt?" he questioned, figuring it would be the younger of the twins who would be comfortable opening the door to strangers. He wasn't completely familiar with Elric's family, but he'd heard enough about them to hazard a guess. The boy shook his head, not saying a word. "May I come in?" Kain asked. Once again, the boy didn't say a word, opting to open the door further and step aside. He looked around the living room - it seemed conspicuously empty. The boy - he assumed it had to be Maes - walked over to an arm chair and plopped down on it, looking somewhat dejected.

"Where's your mother?" Kain asked, trying to get a glance into the kitchen. However, a sudden scream from upstairs answered his question. He saw Maes wince a bit.

"The baby came early," the boy said quietly, voice hardly above a whisper. Kain frowned.

"What about your brother?" he asked. Maes shook his head.

"He's not here."

"Then where is he?"

Maes seemed to close off at this question, pulling his knees up to his chin. He looked as if he were going to break down into tears at any moment. The military officer immediately felt guilty. Something bad had happened to this family recently, and the news he was about to bring couldn't help things. More than anything, Kain wanted to sweep the boy up in a big hug, but he didn't figure it would help. Maes probably didn't know who he was. Instead, he set a letter down on the coffee table.

"When your mother feels better, give this to her," he said, giving the boy a small bow before leaving the house. He could only wish them the best.

Maes stayed seated where he was for a moment, staring at the letter that had been left by the strange military officer. He tried to rid his mind of what had recently happened, and instead focus on the letter. Soon enough, his curiosity got the better of him, and he slipped off the couch to grab the letter and tear it open. He tried to read from the beginning, but the formal tone of the letter made him skim over it until he got to the words in bold. He couldn't understand all of it, but there were only two words which he needed to be able to read. The first was his father's name, which he had only just recently come to recognize.

The second was the word "dead."

* * *

**A/N:**

Most people have their own view of what the kids of canons will be like. Here's mine. If you read the Edwin Chronicles, you'll know Maes and Matt, sort of.

And yes, I know I'm mean to the characters I write.

I have no idea if/when I'll update this. I just wrote it to get it out of my system. I know fics with the FMA kiddies aren't all that popular, so. I suppose if this somehow gets enough interest, I can continue with the first chapter. Or if I feel a sudden urge to write Maes and Matt again, I probably will anyways. But for now, this is all.

Enjoy!


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